Your Buyers are Changing, are You?

I’m in the process of updating my keynote, “Rethinking Engagement for the AI Era” for some exciting events - the first of which will be a guest lecture at the University of Leicester (the university where my parents met and studied!).

I’ve been leaning in to how generational and technology shifts are rewriting the rules of buyer engagement. I started my research by creating a Deep Research prompt that would identify the key megatrends influencing the future of B2B buying. I asked the AI to look for answers on LinkedIn and reputable top-tier management consultancies, categorise and rank-stack them based on frequency and impact. 

After reviewing the outputs, it was clear many of the findings were overlapping so using o3 and some thematic analysis prompts i was able to identify three profound, overlapping disruptions:

• AI-powered discovery and self-service
• Generational shifts and the growing need for perceived brand authenticity
• The complexity of the decision making process

We need to lean into these shifts, as ignoring them could result in you chasing your buyers not walking the journey with them.

Let’s explore them in more detail.

AI-Powered Digital Self-Serve Omnichannel

"I’ll do it myself - just give me the button.”

Buyers today behave more like empowered consumers than cautious committees. They expect a frictionless journey, one where they can research, evaluate, and even sign six-figure deals digitally, often with help from generative AI. 

Almost a decade ago (I can’t believe it was that long!) I led an ecommerce transformation project for an acquisitive  life sciences company that needed to simplify its digital footprint, reduce customer (and employee confusion) and provide enhanced customer experience. A key part of that project involved trying to reduce transactional friction (in fact I co-authored an article with customer experience expert Dr Eitan Bulchalter that was published in the sadly now-defunct MISC magazine). One of the key findings was a key barrier to purchasing (and repurchasing) was the stress of placing an order, and by being able to provide transactional capabilities that would work with internal processes and reduce the risk of error we could enhance customer experience, brand reputation and ultimately sell more!

According to McKinsey, e-commerce is now the largest B2B revenue channel, and Gartner predicts 80% of B2B interactions will be digital before the end of this year.  A product page is no longer marketing’s turf alone - it’s the digital frontline of your pipeline.

And it’s a front line that’s primary purpose is to feed the buyer’s AI assistant. With weekly active users of ChatGPT having surpassed 800 million, with the launch of Google’s AI Mode, generative search results will be everywhere.

Every chatbot, and AI recommendation engine is a surrogate seller. And the scale of AI’s acceleration is staggering: weekly active users of ChatGPT have surpassed 800 million, with the launch of Google’s AI Mode, generative search will be everywhere.

Digital Natives Demand Authentic Purpose

“Know me, show me you care - or I’m gone.”

With 73% of B2B buying decisions now made by Millennials and Gen Z not far behind, values-driven decision-making isn’t optional; it’s fundamental. These digital natives scrutinize your brand beyond brochures: They read Glassdoor reviews, check DEI metrics, and value sustainability pledges over polished pitch decks.

In fact,  over one-third would switch vendors due to weak sustainability performance , and nearly half will pay more for greener solutions.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be privy to some exciting research from my friend Dr Mara Singer, and intelligentics that shows how it isn't just the importance of authenticity that changes across generations, the importance of the constructs that make up our perceptions of authenticity change as well. These constructs are Accuracy, Connectedness, Originality, Legitimacy, Proficiency, and Integrity.

Your buyers are now building shortlists based on the constructs that matter to them. And they are already using AI and Deep Research to search for what others say about you!  

To paraphrase Jeff Bezos: “Your brand is what the AI says others are saying about you when you’re not in the room”

Consensus-Driven Complexity and Looping Journeys

“Selling today is group therapy.”

Gartner reports that a typical B2B deal now involves 6–10 decision-makers, each armed with their own data and doubts. And they don’t move linearly, they loop: revisiting priorities, redefining needs, and stalling decisions.

What’s changing? Winning isn’t about pitching harder; it’s about enabling internal alignment. Research from BOND shows a surge in AI “agents” that help automate research and produce consensus-building materials in minutes, not days.

One way I’ve found to help here, is once you have identified your key buyers is to build PersonaAI that map to their roles to identify what is important to people in those roles, and then use Personality AI such as Humantic AI to identify how each of your buying group prefers to engage.

A salesperson’s primary role is now to help buyers navigate their own internal chaos, and if you’re not filling that role - someone else will!

What This Means for Sales and Marketing Leaders

This isn’t about tools or tactics, it’s about buyer expectations. And those expectations are reshaping how your teams must work together.

The organizations that thrive will be those that blur the lines between sales and marketing, and instead rally around the modern buyer’s journey - one that’s omnichannel, purpose-led, and consensus-driven.

In an era where AI usage, infrastructure, and global reach are compounding at rates never seen before, clinging to yesterday’s playbook isn’t just inefficient - it’s dangerous.

Your buyers are evolving. Are you?